No. 08 | October - December 2017

Director General of IOM meets with President of the Republic of Read more about the Director General’s Visit

President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mr. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh shaking hands with Ambassador William Lacy Swing during his visit to Djibouti © UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017

Minister of the Interior visits Geneva for the IOM Council

Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mr. Hassan Omar Mohamed Bourhan © IOM 2017

From the left, Executive Secretary of the National Office for the Relief and Assistance of Refugees and Displaced Persons (ONARS) Mr. Houssein Hassan Darar, the Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Djibouti to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva Ms. Kadra Ahmed Hassan, the Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Djibouti H.E. Mr. Hassan Omar Mohamed Bourhan, IOM Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing, IOM Djibouti Chief of Mission Ms. Lalini Veerassamy and IOM Senior Regional Adviser Bernardo Mariano © IOM 2017

The Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mr. Hassan Omar Mohamed Bourhan, visited Geneva, Switzerland to address IOM’s 108th Council session on December 1st, 2017 on behalf of the President of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E. Mr. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh. In his speech, the Minister of the Interior discussed about the efforts exerted by the Djiboutian authorities to manage the flow of migrants transiting throughout Djibouti on their attempts to reach the Gulf countries for a better life. His complete keynote address can be viewed on UN TV.

IOM Djibouti Chief of Mission Ms. Lalini Veerassamy The Minister of and Doctors visit the mobile signing an agreement with the Minister of Health in clinic © H. Yi / IOM 2017 Djibouti © H. Yi / IOM 2017 IOM PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH IOM Djibouti signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health to provide assistance to migrants in all five regions in Djibouti through a mobile ambulance patrol, financed by the European Union under the Better Migration Management (BMM) project and Expertise France’s project Addressing Mixed Migration Flows in East Africa (AMMi). In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, IOM Djibouti organized the launch of the Mobile Health Patrol program which will provide assistance to the migrants transiting the region on December 12th at PK51. This mobile patrol program will help to respond to the growing number of migrants who need medical assistance. Read the press release. LAUNCH OF STUDY ON STREET CHILDREN IN

DJIBOUTI The Government of the Republic of Djibouti has launched, for the first time, through the Ministry of Women and Family and in cooperation with IOM, a study on the situation of street children financed by the European Union. The study is an initial response to the precarious situation of these children. There is no statistical data on these children, although they are numerous and are believed to be increasing. These children also expose themselves to many risks, abuses and vulnerabilities. It is in this context that the study aims to know the numbers, socio-demographic characteristics and origins of street children. The study will culminate in the proposal of a national action plan for these children in Djibouti city as well as in the regions. This will enable the Government to take appropriate action in favour of these children and to uphold their rights. A Steering Committee including governmental and non-governmental actors is closely monitoring the

preparation of this study. « J’ai décidé de « rapatrier » Unaccompanied migrant children walk on the streets of mon bagage intellectuel, mon Djibouti-city © Muse enthousiasme et mon Mohammed / IOM 2017 ambition au pays d’origine…»

IOM’S RESPONSE TO HEALTH CASES IN NORTHERN DJIBOUTI TRAINING FOR LOCAL An outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) touched Djibouti’s northern MEDIA regions of and Tadjourah at the end of September. Throughout the months of September and October, the Ministry of Health together with In October, IOM Djibouti organized the IOM Djibouti medical team have treated over 100 migrants within the an information session with the Migration Response Center (MRC). The Ministry of Health supported the national journals and newspapers in medical team with 2 doctors, 2 nurses, and 11 hygiene personnel who were Djibouti (the newspaper La Nation sent to Obock to treat migrants suffering from AWD. and the RTD - Journal Télévisé Djibouti. The training session was Several awareness-raising activities in collaboration with the Ministry of designed to inform local journalists of Health were also conducted in the MRC in Obock as well as in the wider the programs and activities of IOM Obock region on AWD prevention. worldwide, as well as provide insight An awareness raising session in into its activities in Djibouti. Fantaherou © OIM 2017 Future training sessions are planned which will focus on specific thematic areas relevant to the mission in Djibouti.

Migrant Stories Obsa*, an Ethiopian migrant, trains on the beach La Siesta every morning. He came to Djibouti to look for work when he was a child. He spends his nights sleeping on the same beach. He now works as a dancer so that he can save enough money to bring back to his family in . Many of unaccompanied migrant children can be found in the city of Djibouti. Working in odd and irregular jobs, these children live in precarious conditions hoping to make enough money to send home to their families. © Muse Mohammed/ UN Migration Agency (IOM)

Alia*, a 15-year old girl from Wollo region in Teya* an 18 year old woman from Amhara region in Ethiopia, was received at the MRC in December. It Ethiopia, decided to leave home to find a better life. had been 18 days since she had left her home with Her family was poor and needed her to find a job her cousin who told her that she will get a job in elsewhere. She did not want to leave. Her sister Saudi Arabia. The cousin paid 25 000 birr to the financed the trip to Wahalimat with her savings and smuggler for the whole trip and ended up with no paid the smuggler around 30.000 Birr. money once arrived in Obock. They passed “From Wahalimat to Lake Assal, I walked 6 days” said throught Galafi, , Lake Assal and Teya. From Lake Assal to Obock, the group took a car. Tadjourah. “Once arrived at the beach, the Djiboutian army caught us and brought us to the Migration Response centre of IOM. After a discussion with the IOM team, we decided to return to Ethiopia” *Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals said Alia.

INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY CELEBRATION On December 18th, IOM Djibouti celebrated International Migrants Day with the launch of IOM Djibouti’s Country Strategy for 2017 - 2020. During the event, which took place at Institut Français and financed pby the European Union under the AMMi project, three films were screened: Dem Dem, Wallah Je te Jure and a short film by IOM Djibouti on migration in Djibouti (which can be seen here). These screenings were part of the Global Migration Film Festival, IOM Djibouti Chief of Mission Ms. Lalini Veerassamy launched by the IOM to feature films that capture the hands over the IOM Djibouti Strategy to the Minister of the Interior H.E. Mr. Hassan Omar Mohamed promise and challenges of migration for those who leave Bourhan © A. Walcott / IOM 2017 their homes in search of a better life and the unique contributions migrants make to their new communities. On the same occasion, IOM’s newest app called the MigApp was launched. The app will offer a central and user- friendly application where migrants can, through their mobile phones, access available information and services relevant to their specific migration process.

Participants of Diaspora Day ©Hani / La Nation Djibouti IOM staff speaking to the audience ©Hani / La Nation 2017 Djibouti 2017 DIASPORA CONSULTATION DAY In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the World Bank, a Diaspora Consultation Day was organized by IOM on December 21st. The aim was to strengthen the role played by living abroad in the promotion of Djibouti’s socio-economic development. Exchanges between the Diaspora and the government were fruitful, with themes such as diaspora’s encouragement and mobilization, the transfer of human capital, philanthropy and tourism being discussed. The ceremony saw the participation of the Minister of the Interior H.E. Hassan Omar Mohamed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Mahamoud Youssouf Ali, IOM Representative Lalini Veerassamy and World Bank Representative Mr. Atou Seck. IOM has once again demonstrated that migration and development are important topics for the country's progress. As a result, the place of the original Diaspora remains paramount to better contribute to the development of the country as in neighbouring countries (Ethiopia, Kenya). The recommendations, comments and suggestions of the Diaspora will establish a roadmap with a national strategy by 2025.

TRAINING ON MIGRATION DATA COLLECTION AND SHARING BETWEEN DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS IOM, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, organized on October 1st, a training on data collection and sharing between institutions participating in the training such as the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Women and Family, the Secretariat of State for Social Affairs, ADDS, DISED, the National Police, the National Army, the Gendarmerie, and the Coast Guard around the theme of better data management on regular and irregular migration. The training included Program staff from IOM Djibouti and statistical and administrative data on migration and the impact of data Burundi participate in the training © A. available in Djibouti to describe international flows and foreign-born Walcott / UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017 populations. Mr. Michel Poulain and Ms. Anne Herm, two consultants PROJECT DEVELOPMENT organized a session on the reliability of many migration data. This training TRAINING HELD IN DJIBOUTI was part of the project entitled "Capacity building of the Government of Djibouti to better collect and analyse data and statistics on migration", IOM Djibouti hosted a project financed by the IOM Development Fund. development training in French. IOM staff, Ludvik Girard and Innocent

Abresse trained participants from Michel Poulain is a demographer from Belgium. He is Djibouti and Burundi on the specialized in international migration statistics and longevity essentials of project development studies. For the past three decades, he has contributed to the harmonization of international migration statistics at the level and the developments of the second version of the IOM handbook. of the European Union (THESIM) and worldwide with the IOM. INCREASED MIGRANT FLOWS TRANSITING THROUGH DJIBOUTI With growing instability in the region, IOM Djibouti has continued to provide assistance to vulnerable migrants who are attempting to travel to and from Yemen. Boats from Obock carry migrants every day, in the hopes of finding better opprotunites in the Gulf countries. With the assistance of IOM, RTÉ reporter Joan O'Sullivan and cameraman Magnus Kelly travelled to Djibouti, to speak to some of the migrants hoping to travel to war torn Yemen. See RTE report IOM Djibouti Chief of Mission Ms. Lalini Veerassamy with the Minister of Habitat in AWARENESS RAISING ACTIVITIES WITH IRREGULAR Djibouti, Mr. Moussa Mohamed Ahmed © UN MIGRANTS IN DJIBOUTI Migration Agency (IOM) 2017 MEETING WITH THE MINISTER IOM and the National Union of Djiboutian Women (UNFD) organized on October 7th a skit to raise awareness about the risks linked to irregular OF HOUSING, URBAN Migration at the community development centre (CDC) of Arhiba, in the PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT capital of Djibouti. The skit, financed by Expertise France, bears the title of On November 12th, a courtesy visit to "fatal disillusion" and has been interpreted by the Voice of the East in Afar discuss the effects of environmental language, language mostly spoken in the neighbourhood of Arhiba. This change on migration flows took place sketch was produced in April-May in the different interior regions of the between the IOM representative and country. The evening welcomed more than sixty inhabitants of Arhiba including migrant families. the Minister of Housing, Urban Planning and Environment. During In the late evening, the IOM Chief of Mission, and UNFD members held the meeting, IOM activities taking discussions with the director of the CDC and local elected officials in the place in island states on climate premises of the Arhiba CDC. They have mentioned the success of the event change adaptation and strategic and the importance of continuing to circulate messages on irregular migration. It was found that the support to reduce the risk of disasters music sessions captured the were discussed. Migration remains attention of everyone, including the high on the international agenda on youngest. The strong presence of climate change, being very much migrants in this neighbourhood and present in the Sendai Framework for the interest of setting up a listening Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, cell in the CDC were discussed. adopted at the Third UN World Participants of the evening © UN Migration Conference in 2015. The “Enquete Agency (IOM) 2017 zéro bidonville” was also discussed, as a large migrant population may be LAUNCH OF COAST GUARD POST IN KHOR ANGAR living in these areas. The National Coast guard in collaboration with the Ministry of Equipment and Transportation and the support of IOM, opened a border post in the IOM’s launch North of Djibouti, funded by the US of MigApp on Bureau of Population, Refugees, and International Migrants Day, Migration. The border post, for more info inaugurated on December 17th, 2017, allows the National Coast guard to monitor mixed migration flows in the region of Khor Angar and nearby cities in northern Djibouti.

Representative from the United States cuts a ribbon to open the centre © A. Walcott / UN Migration Agency (IOM) 2017

IOM Djibouti Chief of Mission meeting with the Representatives from the Canadian company Olymel in Minister of Labour in Djibouti © L. Veerassamy / IOM visit to Djibouti ©H. Houssein / IOM 2017 2017 PARTNERSHIP FORMED FOR LABOUR MIGRATION PROJECT IN CANADA A meeting was held between the Minister of Labour, Administrative Reform Officer and the IOM Representative in Djibouti on overseas employment opportunities for young Djiboutian citizens as part of a labour migration program on October 25th. Like many countries in Africa that promote migration and development, labour migration can be seen as a tool to achieve the objectives of the National Employment Strategy in Djibouti. Despite the inflection of labour migration flows following the economic crisis, labour markets in several host countries show labour needs at different skill levels, which will persist in the coming decades with aging demographics. The public employment services of the countries of origin are working to meet these needs. As a result of the meeting, IOM Djibouti facilitated the dialogue between the ANEFIP and the agricultural Canadian company Olymel, interested to recruit foreigner’s workers. This meeting between the Minister and the IOM helped to better understand the immediate prospects for rapprochement with the province of Quebec in the field of labour migration. A pilot project has been launched which will match Djiboutians with employment opportunities in Canada. To this end, representatives from Olymel visited Djibouti in November to support the selection of candidates for the program.

DTM ACTIVITIES IN DJIBOUTI

Persons Observed October November December Flow Monitoring Point 1784 1650 891 Fantaherou (Obock-ville) 696 236 829 Orobor 310 348 471 Guelileh 497 514 207 Escale (Tadjourah- ville)

IOM in Djibouti

Current Projects

Immigration and Livelihoods Border Management

Under the project MIDAS program received “Livelihood Support to new equipment to be Eritrean Refugees for installed at the three Self-Reliance and Local border posts of Loyada, Integration in Djibouti Guelileh and Galafi. The City”, trainings and construction of a new internships were offered border post was finalized to the beneficiaries. in Galafi and cameras Equipment was also together with solar purchased for the equipment was beneficiaries’ businesses. purchased. In addition, An important meeting solar equipment was

was held with officials to purchased and installed formalize businesses. at the post of Guelileh Resettlement Assisted Voluntary Mixed Migration Migration Health Returns

In the month of IOM Djibouti In December, IOM In December 2017, October, IOM Djibouti facilitated the Djibouti evacuated 171 among the 171 facilitated the voluntary return of migrants from Yemen. evacuated migrants, 12 resettlement of 1 133 migrants in These migrants migrants were assisted person to the USA and October, 60 in participated in IOM’s AVR by the medical team in 1 to Canada. In November and 219 program to Ethiopia. In the MRC in Obock. November, 7 persons migrants in December. total, IOM Djibouti have been resettled to In total, IOM Djibouti evacuated 748 migrants the USA and 36 to assisted 1696 migrants from Yemen in 2017. Canada. In in 2017. December, 2 persons have been resettled to the USA and 28 to Canada.

Contacts Comments / questions: Houssein MOHAMMED HOUSSEIN at [email protected] Chief of Mission: Lalini VEERASSAMY at [email protected]

IOM Djibouti - Tel: +253 21 32 04 56

[email protected] Boîte Postale 670, Lot 161, Rue de l’Ambassadeur, Héron, Djibouti